Gaming News

Remedy has offered new details about the upcoming AWE expansion in its latest livestream, but one of the coolest announcements to emerge from that video on the status of the game is what is coming in the free August update. Remedy revealed that it’s responding to complaints about long checkpoints and difficulty overall with a number of new options. The game is adding new control points as well as soft checkpoints in certain areas. In addition, a new “Assist Mode” provides tremendous flexibility for players to cater the game to their desires, changing out damage input and output amounts, reload and recharge speeds, and even turning off character death entirely. Many players at launch found Control’s difficulty to be uneven, so this new addition from Remedy should come as welcome news. The free update is due out this month.

Apex Legends Season 6, Boosted, is poised to strike on August 18 with a slew of new content. The biggest addition is a new legend, Rampart. She's a big shooter, a fight club smart talker who loves bubble gum, apparently. She's clearly here to win games and chew bubble gum. There's a new battle pass to explore, new weapons to go pew-pew with, and even crafting. Crafting! Listen there's a lot of new stuff coming in Season 6, and Respawn has a bold new gameplay trailer that shows off some of the fun stuff. Check it out below! Click here to watch embedded media  

Even in the midst of some devastating restructuring and layoffs at Warner Bros. and DC in recent days, the company is still moving forward with a big fan event called the DC FanDome, scheduled for next weekend. An array of DC properties are getting the spotlight treatment, with new looks at everything from Wonder Woman 1984 to the much-discussed Snyder Cut of Justice League. IGN has a full schedule listing to peruse. For game fans, there are also at least two big reveals on the way. Rocksteady will be showing off Suicide Squad: Kill the Justice League; it’s an intriguing title to a game from a studio that has been praised for its take on Batman in the Arkham games. The panel on Rocksteady’s new game is on Saturday, August 22 at 7pm Central/5pm Pacific. In addition, players can also look forward a new look at the next project from WB Games Montreal. Earlier teasers have strongly implied that the studio is working on project related to Batman and the League of Assassins. Viewers who want to learn more can check out the panel on Saturday, August 22, at 12:30pm Central/10:30pm Pacific.

Crystal Dynamics' upcoming Avenger game looks to be a destination for players for a long time. The developer has already said that it plans to support the game with continual updates. If a recent data mine from Reddit user 6plus4equals52 is to be believed, the game code already contains references to the popular Marvel characters Kate Bishop, She-Hulk, and War Machine, so it seems likely that we'll soon see these characters as DLC additions.  If you're not familiar, Kate Bishop also goes by the codename Hawkeye as she is a highly skilled archer and a member of the Young Avengers. She-Hulk, aka Jennifer Walters, is Bruce Banner's cousin, and she received Hulk-like powers after getting an emergency blood transfusion from Bruce. Finally, War Machine, aka James "Rhodey" Rhodes is a good friend of Tony Stark and wears an advanced armored battlesuit – come on, you don't really need us to explain this stuff to you.  [Source: Reddit]

Roguelite action RPG Dreamscaper has just hit Steam Early Access, allowing players to explore a corrupted, dark dreamscape. Hunh, it's like right there in the name. Cool. You get to take out nightmare spirits with like, phantasmal yo-yo's or something in this one. It's a dream so you can turn the surreal into substance, like finger guns acting like real weapons.  Since it's a roguelite, progress should be slow and steady from attempt to attempt, run to run, inside the dream realm. Always chase those big upgrades. You can also mess with time, which sounds pretty neat. Check out the Early Access launch trailer below! Click here to watch embedded media  

Following today's earlier chaotic news of two titans blasting back and forth at each other with Epic Games' Fortnite on the Apple App Store, the popular game has also been removed from the Android Google Play Store. Check out everything going on with that situation right here. In a statement to The Verge, Google addresses the removal of Fortnite from the Google Play Store: The open Android ecosystem lets developers distribute apps through multiple app stores. For game developers who choose to use the Play Store, we have consistent policies that are fair to developers and keep the store safe for users. While Fortnite remains available on Android, we can no longer make it available on Play because it violates our policies. However, we welcome the opportunity to continue our discussions with Epic and bring Fortnite back to Google Play. The clash between Apple and Epic earlier in the day led to the filing of legal papers and has big implications across multiple industries, depending on how things shake out. Where this wild web spins over the next few days, weeks, and months is anyone's guess, but there's not likely to be a dull moment in this brawl. One thing is certain, things are going to get pretty fierce. [Source: The Verge]

Kena: Bridge of Spirits was one of the unexpected hits of PlayStation 5's "Future of Gaming" stream back in June, and now fans have even more to be excited about. Today, developer Ember Lab announced that Kena will offer a free upgrade to the PlayStation 5 version for those who pick up the PlayStation 4 release. With this news, Kena: Bridge of Spirits is the latest game to join the trend of free upgrades from current-generation hardware to next-gen consoles. According to a tweet from developer Ember Lab, the PlayStation 5 version will retain the same visual style while receiving graphical improvements. The PS5 version will also take advantage of next-gen features of PlayStation 5. The studio also said it doesn't know if it's a PS5 launch title, and that it's simply shooting to release before the end of the year. Kena: Bridge of Spirits is set to launch on PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, and PC (via Epic Games Store) holiday 2020. [Source: Ember Lab on Twitter] Kena: Bridge Of Spirits Platform: PlayStation 5, PlayStation 4, PC Release Date: 2020 Purchase More Info

Apple has pulled Fortnite from the App Store after reports surfaced this morning of an option Epic was including in the game to bypass the App Store pricing, allowing users to make purchases from Epic directly. Apple responded by pulling Fortnite from the App store completely. Epic Games responded by airing a "1984" style video inside Fortnite. Watch the video inside this tweet: Epic Games has defied the App Store Monopoly. In retaliation, Apple is blocking Fortnite from a billion devices. Visit https://t.co/K3S07w5uEk and join the fight to stop 2020 from becoming "1984" https://t.co/tpsiCW4gqK — Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 13, 2020 It's a big shot at Apple that hearkens back to ancient tech history when Apple introduced the Macintosh. Click here to watch embedded media Yes, this battle between two companies that are as rich as Croesus is full of twists, turns, and even mobilizing the Fortnite userbase with a hashtag, #FreeFortnite, in the battle against Apple. Any other year, I'd probably think this was pretty weird, but it's 2020 and there are no rules. Because the Fortnite in-game video was ready to go shortly after the app was pulled, it's this writer's opinion that the initial move to bypass the App Store was a deliberate gesture to move the events to where they are now – with Epic Games filing legal papers against Apple. While I'm a big thinker, I'm not anything resembling a lawyer, so you can go read about the legal filing here. Epic Games has filed legal papers in response to Apple, read more here: https://t.co/c4sgvxQUvb — Fortnite (@FortniteGame) August 13, 2020

Ready to die a bunch of times and take new bodies for a spin? Choose the shell (they're kinda like classes) that's right for your playstyle when Mortal Shell launches on August 18 digitally on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, and PC. But wait, you already knew that part. Mortal Shell is also getting a physical release on October 2, announced today. More details in the tweet below and the associated link. We’ve been stunned by the number of requests for a physical release of Mortal Shell. Today we’re delighted to answer those requests. 👉 Mortal Shell physical edition is coming October 2, shortly after the digital release on August 18. More info: https://t.co/p9qvetsX6N pic.twitter.com/qRIatLJmZA — Mortal Shell (@MortalShellGame) August 13, 2020 While those interested in the physical release will have to wait a little longer, it might be worth it if you want something to hold. To touch. Like all those tar (souls) samples that you'll be collecting in Mortal Shell to unlock new and powerful abilities for your shells. The physical edition comes with a poster and artbook. Click here to watch embedded media  

Three-person co-op dungeon crawler Blightbound gets its first major update today. The early access Steam title allows you to play a as a mage (healer), tank, or assassin as you barrel through dungeon after dungeon. Complete dungeons with the same players to unlock new levels of fame that allow you to take on much more difficult challenges - with much bigger rewards. Today, the Khuliath update adds new heroes, new loot, and a brand new area to venture into. Content offerings were fairly sparse prior to this, with players able to knock out the available dungeons in a few hours of play. Of course, you can always find a good group and keep amping up the difficulty to level up your heroes, chase legendary items, and obtain gobs of crafting mats, but the stage variety was fairly lacking. Updates like today's Khuliath should be interesting to follow as the game continues to chart its way through Early Access waters. Check out the Khuliath trailer below! Click here to watch embedded media  

Remember Saturday morning cartoons? Remember G.I. Joe? Saturday mornings with a big bowl of cereal and some highly questionable life lessons? Enough about my childhood, there's a game being talked about here. G.I. Joe: Operation Blackout arrives on Xbox One, PlayStation 4, Switch, and PC on October 13, 2020. That's right, games are still coming out this year. The third-person shooter offers 18 missions, 12 playable characters each with their own special powers and skins, and multiplayer modes. Capture the Flag? It's here. King of the Hill? You bet, Cobra Commander. Want to see more? Of course you do. Check out the trailer below!  Click here to watch embedded media  

Ezio Auditore da Firenze of Assassin's Creed fame is on a journey to a whole new place... an idle mobile game! AFK Arena is one of the more flashy and popular incremental idle games on iOS and Android, and now an Assassin's Creed crossover brings the iconic lethal character to new frontiers. In AFK Arena, you grow a roster of heroes and villains over time, boost your factions up, and of course - AFK! You gain resources and experience even when you're not playing, so you can play by checking in a few times a day on your phone, a style of "idle" game that has seen increasing prominence in recent years. Ezio will be available as a free addition for the next 7 days in AFK Arena. Check out the video below! You can find AFK Arena on iOS and Android. Click here to watch embedded media